As we sat on the bleachers watching the last hour and a half of the Class car session, just four brothers enjoying what has been our favorite hobby/sport for thirty years, we discussed and debriefed each other on what had just occurred in the last whirlwind of a week.
"How was that last pass." I turned to aim the question at Dale, as he was a bleacher up and to my right.
"I put the Ruster Duster in the nines!" Boone exclaimed from my left.
"Best Dale ever ran in it was what, 10.70's or so and every pass I made this week was quicker than that. If the carb was right I would've whipped that Valiant too!"
"Geez Boone, I was trying to ask Dale about the...".
"Dave, Dave, did you hear about Boone putting the old Duster in the Nines?" Darren cut me off, and was sitting directly behind me so he was tugging on my shoulder the whole time he was speaking.
"Fine, fine, let's talk about Boone then!" I threw my hands in the air in feigned disgust. "You claim the carb was still a problem, yet it sounded clean on that pass to us, and what rpm did you cross and shift at?"
"It started popping at just past the thousand foot, and Dale still has the same tach in the car from the eighties, the face is loose and vibrates around, that thing is useless!"
"So, you are going to blame the lousy tach for that horrible burnout?" I've never been able to avoid poking the bear when Boone gets riled up, just one of those older brother things I should've grown out of but chose not to.
"The sure-grip is shot, you idiot!" He elbowed me for emphasis.
"That's the exact same way I've been doing it all week. It doesn't have a working line lock, so I didn't want to kill the brakes, besides, the tires don't need that much heat apparently, as that was my best 60' of the week!"
"So, how was little Billy as a trunk monkey/navigator?" I tried to re-direct the narrative.
"He was at his best when he was passed out, but I've had worse on Drag Week", Boone expounded.
"Yeah, you had Dad with you for three years", Dale laughed.
"I was talking about that moron that rode with me in '06", he stuck a thumb in my direction, "other than paying for gas, he was as useless as that old tach in the Duster!"
My suspicion was, that the volume of laughter after that last comment was a bit more than just my three little brothers could produce, and I'll admit, I laughed too, as it was a solid comeback!
"What did you shift the Valiant at, and what did it cross at on that 138mph pass?" Darren bent over to ask between Boone and I.
"Are you joking man? It's a small block! When the shift light comes on you count 'one thousand one' then grab the next gear, and at the finish line I was holding onto the nitrous button and screaming like a little girl, so I have no clue!"
More laughter, then Dale added, "Pretty much the same way he's driven every car down a drag strip for thirty five years!"

#4 Billy Gebhart White 62 Plymouth Valiant
Day 1: 9.91-133.2
Day 2: 10.13-127.5
Day 3: 9.66-136.3
Day 4: 10.03-135.3
Day 5: 9.65-138.0
Final Average: 9.880-134.10

2016 numbers rank the Valiant 7th all time on Drag Week among Mopars, both on the quickest run, and five day average lists. The 10.39 NA from 2015 still puts the 428 small block 7th on the all time Mopar NA list as well. We had the 73rd best five day average overall in 2016, and that places the Valiant 182nd on the quickest pass list, and 185th on the best five day averages list out of the thousand plus cars that have competed in the twelve events.